


Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

by westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist



Category: The West Wing
Genre: Episode: s05e13 The Warfare of Genghis Khan, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-09-09
Updated: 2008-09-09
Packaged: 2019-05-15 04:24:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14783547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist/pseuds/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist
Summary: The Warfare of Genghis Kahn. Josh won't go out with the NASA `ho if Donna doesn't want him to.





	Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

**Author's Note:**

> A copy of this work was once archived at National Library, a part of the [ West Wing Fanfiction Central](https://fanlore.org/wiki/West_Wing_Fanfiction_Central), a West Wing fanfiction archive. More information about the Open Doors approved archive move can be found in the [announcement post](http://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/8325).

  
Author's notes: This is a ficlet that is part of a challenge of missed moments. The challenge is that Josh and Donna could have had their moment after any given conversation. The beginning dialog is the scene from the show that spurned the challenge.  


* * *

JOSH: Donna, cancel my dinner with Bregstone tonight.  
DONNA: Stargazing?  
JOSH: You were listening?  
DONNA: (mildly snippy)I'm right outside. Would you be going if she weren't attractive?  
JOSH: We'll never know. (she looks after him as he walks away) 

 

Just as I begin to walk away from Donna, I hear another huff of disgust. I immediately stop and turn back not quite believing my ears.

"What?" I ask.

"What?" she gives me the innocent face, but I know she's full of shit.

"What's the matter? What was that?"

"What was what?"

"That huff."

"What huff?"

"There was a huff."

"There was no such thing." 

I look at her for a second, then shake it off. As soon I step away, I hear a mumble, "freaking whorry rocket scientist... "

"THAT!" I yelp, spinning on her and pointing at her. I've also drawn some attention to us, so I lower my voice and step closer to her. "That right there."

"What right where?" she's looking at me like I'm deluded, but...well, I just might be. 

"What about whorry rocket scientists?"

"What about them?"

"You were saying something." 

"I could care less who you date."

"It's not a date."

"Then why don't you go tomorrow night?"

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Is canceling the meeting with Bregstone somehow detrimental?"

"Find out tomorrow morning." she gives me her biggest, sweetest, you are so in for it Josh smile, drops a file on her desk and turns on her heel. Like the dog in heat that I am, I follow her. Yes, I can acknowledge that this is exactly what she wants. 

"Are you jealous?" I smile. It's possible I might be bouncing alongside of her now as we move through the operations bullpen and into the communications bullpen where she randomly drops things on people's desks and heads back to operations.

"Please!" she scoffs, but it's unconvincing. After all these years, one thing is plainly obvious to us, we HATE when the other dates. "If you want to date a NASA `ho who is clearly using you, go right ahead. But don't expect me to cheer you up when you get stuck in a relationship you're miserable in yet again."

"You're right. Why would I think you were jealous?"

"You're insufferable, you know that?" she glares.

"I do actually, having heard it from you a few hundred times over the years."

She walks into my office and I take the opportunity to corner her and close the door. "Since I don't want this to be a thing for the rest of my life, I'm going to give you this little nugget and tell you that I have absolutely no interest in dating the NASA `ho -- I mean Alex." 

"Why?" she counters. "She's brunette, brilliant, has like ten degrees. What's not for you to pant over?"

"Well, for one, she's not you." I shrug. I try to make myself sound casual, but the truth is, my heart is beating out of my chest. 

"I'm sorry?" she squeaks. 

"You heard me." I smirk. And just because two can play at her game, I open my office door and head out into the bullpen and down the corridor. Now it's HER that's hot on my heels and I'll tell you something... that feels GOOD!

"What the hell does that mean?" she demands as she follows me step for step down the stairs. I have no idea where I'm going. I'm just trying to keep us moving so we don't have to make eye contact.

"It means just that. I will never consider a date with a woman that's not you again." 

She stops and I hear from behind me, "You know what, Josh? You're a creep!" then she stalks off.

WHOA! That's not the way that was supposed to go! 

I grab her by the elbow and pull her behind the nearest closed door, which happens to be an empty, thank God, copy room.

"What the hell is that for!?" I hiss.

"That was really low, even for you!"

"What does that mean!"

"Lying like that when you know I..."

Ha! I got her. Hello canary, I grin, I'm your cat.

"When I know what?"

"Nothing." she sputters. "Go out with the NASA `ho. I'm done with this game." 

"Donna, I meant what I said." I say dropping my voice and putting the full weight of my body up against the door. Her eyes go wide as she waits for me to elaborate. "If there's one thing that mess with Carrick did, Donna, it was open my eyes to who my real friends are. You stuck by me AGAIN and don't say it was because you're my assistant because we both know that you went well beyond that. You've been ten times more the friend to me than I've been to you, but I would not be standing in this building today if it wasn't for you. That's a fact, Donnatella."

She's starting to cry. She's easier to handle when she's pissed off. 

"You gave me a reason to come to work every day and once again, you were the reason I didn't give up. You don't want me to go stargazing with the NASA `ho, say the word."

"It shouldn't matter to me." she whispers and looks down. "I've tried so hard to make it not matter to me." 

I reach out tentatively and take her hand. When she doesn't pull away, I pull her gently toward me. 

"It's okay that it matters."

"Not here it's not." 

"Maybe not on the other side of this door it's not, but in this room right now, Donna, it is." 

"I don't understand what you're saying right now." she says as I bring my hand up to her face and gently brush my thumb along her cheek.

"I'm saying that because I love you, if you don't want me to go stargazing with the NASA `ho tonight, I won't." 

She brushes a tear off her free cheek and smiles. "Really?" I nod. I've moved my fingers under her jaw and I'm slowly drawing her lips closer to mine. 

I can't believe this is finally going to happen.

In a copy room no less.

She should be the one I'm under the stars with tonight.

"I love you, too." she whispers.

"Good." I smile. "I thought that I was out on this limb all by myself."

"You couldn't possibly have!" 

"Sometimes you do a pretty good impression of hating me."

"I could never hate you." 

"I don't think that's true."

"Are you going to kiss me or what?"

"I was working my way around to it." 

"Need a map?"

"For crying out loud, Donnatella! A man only has one last first kiss, he should be able to memorize the details of it without being rushed!" 

I watch her work that sentence out in her head. When she figures it out, her eyes go wide. Then she grabs my face and attaches herself to my lips. 

I guess what I said was well received. 

Donna tastes like...well, you know, she tastes like coffee at the moment. Our lips move together and her hands move down to my waist, pulling me closer to her by my belt. My fingers move into her hair and I'm surprised by how it falls through my fingers like silk. I've been wanting to run my fingers through her hair for years.

Leave it to me to be the guy that falls in love with his assistant. I can't be the guy that just shows up to work and pays no attention to his assistant. Noooo, I'm the poor fool that falls in love with her. 

"Donna..." I say between kisses.

"Mmm..."

"Cancel Bregstone tonight anyway." I pant. 

She smiles widely at me. "Why?" 

"I think you know." 

"Looking for an other-wordly experience?" 

"A joining of the celestial bodies one might say." I parry.

"You have high expectations."

"I have no doubt it'll be out of this world."

"I've been known to defy the laws of gravity." she whispers as she latches onto my earlobe.

"Oh God." I groan. 

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I remember we're in a copy room in the White House. It was probably helped along by losing our balance and setting off the copier. But as we right ourselves, and our clothes, she throws a saucy smile at me and saunters out the door. 

I just had my last first kiss. The stars aligned and the heavens cleared. I don't need a NASA engineer to show me the romance of outer space. 

THE END


End file.
